Who Ever Thought?
by Sephielya J. Maxwell
Summary: Wolfram is getting increasingly irritated at Yuri's refusal to accept him as his fiance, and Yuri is getting incresingly unsure of his own refusal! What will make them connect? Red.Hot.Burning...Jealousy. Finished?
1. Chapter 1

Yuri awoke like normal this morning. That is, he woke with Wolfram's arms around his neck, and the prince's lithe pale body pressed securely against his, much to his dismay. His arm was asleep from being laid on, and he realized with a flush of heat to his cheeks that his other hand rested on the blonde's hip.

"YEAGH!" He shouted, sitting up and scooting back. Wolfram stirred, sitting up to rub at his eyes. One shoulder of his oversized—purposely, Yuri swore—nightie slipping from his shoulder to bare his pale neck and collarbone. He yawned unceremoniously, then smiled sleepily to his fiancé.

"Whatsa matter Yuri?" He said quietly, and Yuri flushed.

"What's the matter? What's the matter! You're the matter Wolfram!" The teenaged Maou shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the prince.

"Is something wrong with me?" Wolfram asked, waking slowly and becoming irritated.

"No, but…that is… you're in my bed again!"

"_Our _bed, Yuri. I'm your fiancé." The blonde reminded, crossing his arms. Yuri placed a hand over his face, groaning. There was a knock at the door, and Conrad entered.

"Heika, are you ready for your lesson?" He asked with a smile. Glad for the interruption, Yuri hopped out of bed and nodded,

"Yeah! Just give me a second to get dressed." He called, and Conrad closed the door to give him some privacy. Yuri unbuttoned his night shirt and was about to slip the shirt from his shoulders when he felt them itching. Looking over his shoulder he saw that the blonde on the bed was watching him intently.

"Do you mind?" He snapped, wrapping his arms around himself, and Wolfram glared.

"Humph." He exclaimed, slipping his long pale legs off of the bed and standing as he pulled his wayward sleeve back up to cover his shoulder. "I'll see you at breakfast…call me if you're going to take a bath beforehand, and I'll wash your back." He was saying as he headed for the door.

"Why would I do that? I can wash myself, you know! I don't need _you _to help me!" Yuri huffed, continuing to dress. Wolfram stopped, holding the door open, but by the time Yuri turned to look he was gone. He hadn't caught the hurt look on his fiancé's face.

When he was finished dressing, the Maou opened the door and greeted Conrad again with a smile. On their way to the court yard, Yuri heard Wolfram's voice, and he told the brunette to go on ahead as he went to investigate. Wolfram stood in front of his own room, accompanied by several of his hand picked men. Apparently they'd caught their prince before he had had time to dress, because the light pink nightie was still being worn shamelessly. Wolfram was smiling broadly, and talking openly with his subordinates. The blonde reached out, clasping his hand onto one of the soldier's shoulders and giving it a squeeze. The boy blushed so brightly that Yuri could see it from down the hall, and when the blonde leaned a little closer to say something to him, drawing all three boys' attention, he wished he knew what the brat prince was saying to them. With a huff, he turned and headed for the court yard. He didn't have time for that anyway, and if Wolfram wanted to gossip, that was his business!

He forgot all about a certain blonde that was not to be named as he played ball with Conrad. By the time they were finished he was ready for a bath before he joined the rest for breakfast. Gathering his things together, the Maou headed for the baths.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Murata stood at the entrance to the Maou's bath, his dark eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion. His face remained expressionless as he watched the pale blonde prince in the baths, half-hiding. He couldn't help it, he really couldn't. He knew he was just torturing himself, but what else could he do…? Had it really been so long? His memories were clear as ever, and even more so whenever he spied on a certain Mazoku prince…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yuri blinked when he turned the corner to see Ken standing at the inner entrance of the baths. He was about to call to his friend when he saw the other's lips move, uttering a phrase that was to quiet to hear from his distance. The teenaged king frowned, and his clothes fell from his hands. "Oh, oops!" He exclaimed, startling the Great Sage. Murata smiled his wide smile, greeting his friend cheerily as he passed him by.

"What, you're not going to take a bath?" Yuri asked.

"Oh, n-no. I already did." Murata said, waving to him. "Have fun!" He chuckled as he turned the corner.

"Fun…?" Yuri asked, one dark eyebrow rising. He shrugged, gathering up his things and heading into the over sized room. He was greeted with a full view of his fiancé's pale, slender, and very naked body as the blonde stepped out of the bath. Face coloring brightly, he smiled. "O-Oh, Wolfram! Getting out already? Heh. Well, I'll see you at—" He said as he began to undress.

"Oh." Wolf said, looking up. His face brightened, and he smiled. "I was going to go, but since you just got here I might as well wash your—"

"No, no! It's alright!" The Maou slipped into the bath, and Wolfram turned towards him, stepping back into the bath.

"No really, it's the least I can do!" He rests his hands on Yuri's shoulders. His skin was warm and wet, and the dark-haired teen could practically feel the blonde's breath on the back of his neck as he leaned in to wash him. The image of the pale naked body behind him was just too much for his adolescent mind.

"Don't touch me!" Yuri snapped, his voice echoing off of the walls and high ceiling. Wolfram withdrew his hands quickly, startled. He glared, turning at once even as Yuri tried to apologize. The sight of Wolfram's perfectly shaped rear retreating from him caught his voice in his throat, unfortunately.

"Fine, you wimp! Don't blame me if someone else comes in here and attacks you though!" He said angrily, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his slender waist. He stormed off without another word, and Yuri sighed. He hadn't meant to snap… What was wrong with him! Since when did he need to actually raise his voice at Wolfram? He felt horrible. Wolfram had looked upset, really upset, not just agitated as he left. Yuri sighed as he shook the images from his head and concentrated on how to apologize to his fiancé…And since when was eh thinking of the blonde as his fiancé?

Now wait just a… Murata, that jerk! '_Fun_'? Tch, right! But then… He'd never taken his best friend to have that kind of a fetish…Okay, so maybe if it was a woman, but… He'd been spying on Wolfram? For some reason, Yuri's chest felt a little heavier at that thought.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Wolfram stood quickly as the Maou entered the room, throwing his napkin down on the table and walking brusquely past him. Yuri's smile fell and he turned to say something but he was stopped by Celi's bear hug. Honestly, he loved the ex-Maou, but when was she going to continue her free-love journey? He barely escaped Conrad's piercing look throughout breakfast, carefully keeping the topic off the blonde prince's sour mood. That was twice he'd snapped at Wolfram today, and two excuses he didn't have. What –_was_- it about Wolfram that made him so jumpy?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Their prince was –_not­-_ in a good mood this morning. That was the group thought of Wolfram's company right now, as he took down one after another faster than they could get up a proper defense. He spared no mercy, calling them weak and pressing them until they could no longer stand. The midday heat was getting to them, but Wolfram only flipped his damp bangs out of his blazing green eyes and called for one of them to stand.

"I'll try." Came a voice from the side. Green eyes shot towards the speaker, then widened slightly at the sight of the one standing there.

"Great Sage…" He said in surprise.

"Do you mind?"

"But you don't have a weapon." Wolfram said nervously, knowing very well that this man didn't need one.

"I'll be alright. Ready?"

"Ah." Wolfram agreed, getting into a stance. The wooden sword made a sharp sound as it swept through the air, but Murata dodged backwards carefully, slipping to the side where he bowed away from a second swipe.

"Oops," Ken mused as he got a tap in on Wolfram's side with his hand. The blonde flushed, his strikes becoming wider and more furious than before. "Uh-oh…almost! Oh… that could have hurt!" The Great Sage was teasing him, he knew it! The sun caught Murata's glasses, shielding his eyes, and he dodged under a hit to come up in Wolfram's face, his foot slipping behind the prince's heel as he went to move back. Backwards he went, but instead of hitting the ground, Wolfram found himself embraced by two slender arms. He blinked up into Murata's dark eyes, confused over the happy smile. Blonde strands of hair stuck to the sides of his face with sweat, and his breath was mingling with the Great Sage's. Flushing with heat suddenly, Wolfram stood on his own.

"I-I'm sorry…" The usually collected blonde said, brushing off his clothing. "I got carried away…"

"I know." Murata said, shrugging. "It's alright…. Your men looked like they needed a break." He laughed, adjusting his glasses as he turned his back.

"You're right." Wolfram smiled a little. "Thank you…" He offered as Murata walked away.

"No problem." Murata said smoothly, but in fact, it was a problem. The close contact had done something more than he'd hoped for in this adolescent body…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yuri yawned as he headed for his room, thoroughly tired from a day of not being able to escape Gunter's endless lectures. The silver haired man was –_much_- to happy to be spouting all of the useless text-book garble! Voices caught his attention as he navigated the endless halls of Blood Pledge castle, and he would have ignored them—if he hadn't heard the name of the blonde-not-to-be-mentioned.

"I've never seen Wolfram-sama so passionate!"

"Who are you kidding? Someone was going to get hurt."

"Yeah, but did you see him and the Great Sage?"

"Oh! Yes! It got so heated, I thought one of them might get hurt!"

"They were totally serious!"

"Nah, I think the Great Sage was just playing with him."

The went out of earshot, but Yuri's heart was racing.

--_Never seen Wolfram-sama so passionate!_

--_him and the Great Sage?_

_--It got so heated!_

_--Totally serious!_

_--Just playing with him…_

Murata… and Wolfram? His fists clenched all on their own, fingernails digging into his palms. His face was hot, and he hurried to his room. It wasn't even a thought that Wolfram wouldn't be there. After dark, Wolfram was always in bed before him by now. It was commonplace. He opened the door quickly, trying not to slam it behind him. The lump under the sheets stirred, and he stormed over to the bed. Grabbing a hold of the sheets, he ripped them back. His heart jumped into his throat, and he felt the blood rush from his head towards a decided lower destination.

Wolfram laid curled up like a kitten, hands in lose curls under his chin. His pink nightie had ridden up past his waist, leaving his perfect pale thighs and calves bare to reflect the moonlight pouring in through the windows. It didn't help that the only thing he was wearing was the black thong underwear that this country deemed 'standard'. The blonde curled up tighter when the sheets were pulled back, and then he shivered. Yuri realized that his hair was damp, and the scent of fresh bath oils filled his nose.

"Yuri?" Wolfram asked sleepily, "What is it? Hurry and come to bed, it's cold…" He yawned, groping for the covers. Yuri pulled them back over the almost naked boy, covering him as quickly as possible. " 'Sank you…" And he was out again. Yuri sank down to sit on the floor slowly, swallowing hard. What on earth—or Mazoku—was happening to his body? Since when did the sight of a naked –_boy-_ make him…excited? But that didn't make any sense! He'd seen Gunter and Conrad, and even Gwendal naked before! He stood shakily, moving over to his wardrobe to change into his night clothes. He would ignore it… But how long could he?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

To Be Continued…


	2. This time, I MEAN it!

A/N: I could so curl and die right now XD I'm so busy and yet not. Anyway, I decided to up and do this chapter since I've gotten good reviews! Yay! I suppose it wasn't so bad for a first shot after all! On another note, since this story is focused on Yuri and Wolfram, I cut two scenes from it. You can read them if you like, or if you want to get the full story about Wolfram and Murata. 'Heart to Heart' and 'Courage to Wait' (WIP) are the other two

Chapter 2: This time, I_mean_ it!

Yuri opened his eyes slowly, yawning. He still felt tired, but as he started to close them again he remembered about yesterday. Sitting up, he turned to the side and stopped short. Wolfram was already gone? The bed felt cool where he had been, so it had been a while. And he had wanted to ask him… He jumped up, getting his things together in a hurry. If he could catch him in the bath he could talk to him, maybe even make it up to him for snapping at him. Twice even. The Maou was disappointed to see that Wolfram wasn't in the bathes either. Oh well, he sighed. There was always later…

But by breakfast he'd already forgotten about it. Wolf was talking to Gwendal about something anyway, and Conrad pulled Yuri into a conversation easily. Not so much as a glance passed between the fiancé's all through the morning, and they parted ways for their separate duties by noon.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Not beating up your men today?" A voice asked from behind a pillar. Glasses hid his eyes as he came out of concealment, but he adjusted them. Warm dark eyes took in the figure of the blonde prince leaning on the railing that overlooked the courtyard. Wolfram smiled,

"No, I thought they needed a little break." He said. Ken approached him, leaning on the railing beside him.

"But you look like you're in a better mood today."

"Ah…" Wolfram sighed. "Because it does no good to dwell on things I can't do anything about. It's not like he'd apologize anyway. I mean he—" The prince stopped, turning wide eyes on Murata. "I mean…"

"Shibuya, right?" The Sage said, tilting his head to the side with a disarming smile. Wolfram was silent for a moment, then he nodded as he hung his head. "Not to hard to figure out. He probably doesn't even realize that he's doing it, right?"

"Yes. So, I can't get mad at him, right?" Wolfram asked. His expression was so bare that the Sage felt his chest ache.

"I wouldn't say that. He may not notice how harsh he is, but that's negligence." Murata felt he shouldn't be telling Wolfram this. He should be backing up his friend, shouldn't he? "I mean," he went on speaking, looking out at the garden below. "He's go to know when he upsets you. Hell, the whole castle knows when he upsets you."

"But…he…"

" 'Then why does he keep doing it?'…Na?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know, Wolfram…" Murata sighed.

"Do you think he really does hate me?" His voice was almost doubtful at his own words. The Great Sage just smiled.

"You know he doesn't. He's just confused right now. He's not used to the idea of being with a man."

"I can understand that… I guess. I mean, its commonplace here. I've been trying to understand it from his point of view, but I just can't. I don't like women like that." Wolfram blushed.

"You're missing out, I suppose."

"You shouldn't be saying that. What if someone told the Shrine Maidens that?" The blonde smiled a little. Murata pretended to look shocked.

"You'd tell them? They'd all be to busy blushing and googling you that they wouldn't hear a word you said." He smiled. Wolfram frowned, but he chuckled. They moved a little closer to each other at the rail. The two turned at the sound of running feet, and Wolfram almost toppled as Greta jumped into him. He was about to ask her what she was running from when they heard a female voice calling for her. The prince smiled, sharing a look with Murata as the moved over to the column. A woman rounded the corner, coming up short when she saw the two teens standing together. Wolfram recognized her as the woman that had been appointed to teach his and Yuri's daughter.

"O-oh! Wolfram-sama, Great Sage… have you seen Greta-sama, by chance? She got away from me again…" She sighed.

"No, I haven't…" Wolfram said.

"Children these days are always off causing havoc. You might try and find her soon…" Murata led off, and the woman said her thanks and left. Wolfram peeked around the pillar.

"You should be learning. It's not good to run away so often…" He began to scold her and Greta pouted, but Murata clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on now Wolfram, you just helped her. That makes you an accomplice, so what do you say we all play hooky to day?"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

If Yuri thought Gunter was bad, he was now rethinking it. Gwendal was much less interesting to spend a day with. So today had been spent signing papers and learning about taxes, boarders, citizen complaints, and anything else the stern-faced prince could think of. By the time he was heading to bed, it was dark again. He nearly fell forward when arms grabbed him around the waist. "Greta…" He complained, but he was smiling. "You should be in bed."

"I know, I know!" She said, giggling. "But I wanted to tell you!"

"Tell me what?"

"I got away from my teacher again! You didn't though." She pouted, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry, but today I was with Gwendal, not Gunter. It was impossible. He followed me everywhere I went. I think they're on to us." He whispered, kneeling down. Greta smiled again.

"It's alright, I played with Wolfram."

"Did you?" Yuri asked, patting her head. She nodded.

"We went to the Shrine, and we played jokes on the Maidens."

"Oh… Wolfram did that?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Ken-niichan said it was okay! And he played like he didn't know anything! It was fun! I wish you could have come…"

"Ken…Murata?" The Maou asked, and Greta nodded.

"He was with Wolfram when I got away from Miss Henata."

"Greta!" They turned to see one of the trio of maids approaching. "You should be in bed, and so should Heika!" She chided, and the little girl smiled as she walked over to her after giving Yuri one last hug goodnight. Yuri sighed as he opened the door to the bedroom slowly, closing it behind him softly. As he headed for his wardrobe he stopped in his tracks, frowning to see that the bed was empty.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The Maou was already in bed by the time the door opened and Wolfram appeared. He sat up quickly, frowning.

"Where were you?" He said quite loudly. Wolfram jumped, his hand going to the hilt of his sword. He frowned, sighing as he walked over to the bed.

"Stupid wimp, don't scare me like that." The blonde said, setting down his night clothes. He unbuckled his belt, leaning his sword against the bed. "I got back late, and I took a bath a little earlier." He said, his eyes downcast for some reason. Yuri sighed,

"Greta told me about today." He said, and Wolfram got flustered.

"We… I didn't want to, but the Great Sage is pushy…"

"What?" Yuri felt that all too familiar twinge in his chest.

"I mean, I never would have done something like that if he hadn't been so stubborn. He's a lot like you, sometimes. I told him it was a bad influence on Greta, but he just kept on—"

"Kept on doing what?" Yuri snapped, interrupting the blonde. Wolfram looked up, frowning.

"She didn't tell you we played pranks on the Maidens?" he asked, and Yuri's face flushed as he shrugged his shoulders. Why in the world had he thought something different?

"It's not that big a deal." The Maou said, pulling his knees up to his chest. Wolfram slipped his jacket off and folded it nicely, then unbuttoned his shirt. It joined his jacket, and he had started on his pants before he caught Yuri staring.

"Do you want to see?" He asked with a smile, and Yuri flushed. He turned his head the other way, and Wolfram pouted a little. With a shrug, he slipped out of his shoes and socks then slid the pants off his slender hips.

His reflection in the window was clear as day to Yuri, who swallowed hard when the blonde prince's body from behind was bared to him. He wondered briefly whoever thought of making that G-string 'standard' underwear… He gave a sigh of relief when the familiar pink nighty covered the pale skin. He closed his eyes until he felt the bed dip from the added weight, and the covers were tugged.

"Yuri…"

"Oh, right." The dark-haired teen said, letting go and laying down. "Hey!" He sat up quickly, looking down into Wolfram's startled face. "You're in my…" he began, but let out a frustrated sigh at the end. It came to him that this was the first time he had been here or awake when Wolfram had came into his bedroom. Usually he was already here and pretending to sleep, or he snuck in later. Though after watching him undress like that, he would feel like an idiot if he told him to get out now. The blonde's expression was something like irritated, but Yuri thought he saw something through that. He was anxious. Yuri sighed again, laying down and turning away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Wolfram lay awake for some time after that, and he leaned on his elbow as he watched his Maou sleep soundly. Honestly, he didn't think he could really blame Yuri for not wanting to sleep in the same bed as him. The prince was a terrible bed-partner, he admitted that. It was more Yuri's rejection of Wolfram as a person than Wolfram as a violent bedmate that hurt him. Just how could gender matter –_so- _much in a world? He sighed quietly, reaching over to run his fingers through Yuri's dark bangs. He'd let him stay in bed. With a smile, the prince laid down to sleep.

He woke up first that morning and carefully slipped out of bed. Gathering his clothes, he headed for the door. Before he slipped out, he glanced back at the Maou over his shoulder. This was going to be hard… but if it paid off, it would be worth it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yuri was a little confused for a moment when he woke up, but he wasn't sure why. Sitting up, he rubbed at his eyes and yawned, then turned to see the problem. Wolfram was absent again, it seemed. The dark-haired boy frowned. It was just… different waking up without him, somehow. Regardless of how he protested, he'd gotten used to it by now. It was just something he had come to accept. Trying to shake the nagging feeling he was beginning to develop, Yuri got out of bed just as Conrad called for him. And so it was sword training, then a bath, all before breakfast. Wolfram and Gwendal were both absent from the table, for training and paperwork respectively. Yuri was secretly glad for Wolf's absence then, because if the blonde knew that Gwendal was doing his work for him again he'd never hear the end of it.

After breakfast he headed for the courtyard, walking the level above it so that he could view it from above. Wolfram was down there as they said he would be, and he was with what it looked like were new recruits. The prince certainly cut a prominent figure among the would-be soldiers, handing out directions and instructions with as much an air of command that he'd seen Gwendal use on occasion. Though he'd seen Wolfram give orders to men his own age, some of these newcomers must have been twice his age. Perhaps he gave the prince too little credit. As spoiled and selfish as he acted, Wolfram was good at keeping his head cool when things mattered—and he took training very seriously. One soldier in particular, a handsome boy about their age—Yuri guessed, for he'd given up of guessing Mazoku ages by now—was having trouble swinging his sword. Wolfram tried to demonstrate to the boy how to hold it, and how to place his feet, but he just couldn't get it. Yuri smiled at that, thinking that maybe he –_wasn't- _the only one that couldn't use a sword. Wolfram got fed up with trying to tell him, and just when Yuri thought he'd give up all together, the prince moved around behind the boy.

Placing his hands over the soldier's, he slid one foot up behind the boy's, moving his leg out farther. Even from the height he was at, Yuri could clearly see the blush on the other's face, and he clenched the rail as the clueless Wolfram spoke into the blushing idiot's ear.

"Dedicated, isn't it he?" Murata's voice asked. Yuri spun to face him, smiling as he laughed nervously.

"I guess so. He's pretty intimidating actually, even though he looks so…"

"I don't know, I think beauty has its air of danger." The Great Sage countered, placing his hand on the rail as he looked over the edge. He smiled back to Yuri, "After all, what about you? Do you think you look dangerous? No, right? But when you go all 'Maou' on us, your power is shocking."

"That's different." Yuri shook his head, but Murata shrugged.

"Skipping lessons?" The boy with glasses asked, and Yuri smiled.

"Eh-heh… Yeah, kinda. What about you? Don't you usually hang around the temple, you dirty Sage?" He nudged his friend with his arm, and Murata laughed.

"I just had to deliver something to the castle. I'm heading back, actually. I'm so busy today that I don't think I'll be back until tonight."

"Aww, and here I thought I was going to have company." Yuri groaned, his smile falling. Murata laughed, patting his shoulder.

"Sorry, Shibuya. Another time!" The Sage said as he left, and Yuri sighed. Looking back down, Wolfram had moved on to the other soldiers, but the talentless soldier was following his every move. Poor idiot, Yuri thought as he smiled. He was confused at his own smile suddenly. Why was he so happy that someone else didn't have a chance with Wolfram? He should be encouraging them. Regardless of what he thought, he was sure in Wolfram's… what had Murata said? His dedication. To Yuri, his Maou and, coincidently, his fiancé.

Yuri was able to dodge his studies again after he ate lunch, deciding to go down to the garden before Gunter hunted him down. If he was lucky, he'd find Greta on the way, and the two of them could find something fun to do. He stopped when he neared the fountain, hearing familiar voices. Ducking behind the tall bushes, he peeked out from between branches. To his surprise he saw Wolfram sitting on the edge of the fountain, talking to someone who was kneeling in the flowers ahead of him. From where he was he could see Wolfram's back, but not who he was speaking to, nor could he hear them. The tone seemed solemn though, and the prince's sagging shoulders confirmed the depressed mood. He held something out in his hand. The other person stood then, brushing off his pants and then adjusting his—his glasses. Murata?

Sure enough the Great Sage stood before Wolfram, then sat down beside him, placing his hand over the prince's as he took the letter. His smile was something more than its usual mystery, somehow, and he leaned quite close to the blonde as he spoke. Wolfram's face broke into a smile, and then he blinked as he accepted the flower from the dark-haired boy. His blush was painfully clear on his pale face, and he seemed to be getting flustered. Yuri couldn't take it anymore, and he turned away as quietly as he could.

He should be happy. Maybe not happy, but at least relieved. It seemed he'd sealed his fate when he'd gotten angry enough to slap the blonde all those months ago, declaring a proposal he didn't mean. And then, he'd gone Maou and beaten the spoiled prince with his power, sealing the contract. Wolfram had deserved both of those things, really. First insulting his mother and then doubting he had the ability—though Yuri very much doubted himself at that moment—to be the Maou. Now, the prince had done a complete 180. He didn't doubt Yuri, he believed in him and trusted him with his life. And he wasn't insulted by the proposal, he was honored. At first he'd claimed that he was just protecting his own reputation, as well as the Maou's by keeping Yuri from 'flirting' with other people. Now, he'd told him quite openly that he loved him. It was just to much! It wasn't the way things were on Earth… It didn't matter. He was free of him now, or so it seemed. Why did it sting each time his heart beat then? Why was his breath so short? Feeling at a loss for what he was feeling, he searched out someone who could make him feel better for a while—Conrad.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yuri had given his all to playing catch with Conrad for the time between lunch and dinner. His Godfather could tell that something was bothering him, but he couldn't get the Maou to talk about it. He was a lot like himself, Conrad thought. Keeping his problems and worries to himself as not to burden anyone else with them. But Conrad had learned the hard way that this did not always help things, and so he could do nothing but help Yuri in the way the Maou wanted. If he wanted to play baseball, then they would play until Yuri gave him his usual smile. He did, finally, just before dinner. The two of them came to dinner together, discussing what—no one else at the table knew. Murata's absence didn't escape Yuri's notice, but he refused to comment on it. Gunter did him the favor of doing so, and Gwendal replied that he'd been at the temple since morning. It was all that was spoken on the matter, and Wolfram didn't miss a beat in his conversation with his mother.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After his bath that night, Yuri just wanted to sleep. He opened the door to his room and plodded inside, rubbing at his still damp hair. He froze when he saw the blonde's moonlit figure on his bed. The sheets were kicked aside as usual, and Wolfram laid half on his side, curled up nicely. He only uncurled when Yuri climbed into bed, after all. His pink nightgown had ridden up all the way to his waist, leaving long, pale, perfectly shaped legs free to view. Yuri swallowed—hard, and stalked over to the side of the bed. He had to do it, or he never would. He reached to touch Wolfram's shoulder, but his hand stopped in midair, hovering. Dark eyes trailed the length of Wolfram's slender body again, fixing on the sinfully bared skin. Wolf had legs better than many women he'd seen. His hand moved lower, fingertips just touching Wolfram's warm, soft thigh. The blonde gave a small sound, shifting just slightly, and Yuri's hand jerked back as if it had been burned.

"W-Wolfram." He said, trying to keep his voice straight. He was ignored, of course. He grabbed the blonde's shoulder angrily, shaking him a little. "Wolfram!" He said, louder this time. Bright green eyes fluttered open, and the prince looked irritated, as he always did when Yuri woke him up.

"What do you want, wimp?" He asked, and Yuri felt his face get hot.

"G-get up." He said. Something in his tone seemed off, so Wolfram sat up.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he folded his legs under himself, but they were still uncovered.

"No—Yes! You're what's wrong! Go sleep in your own bed!" Yuri really tried to sound firm, but his tongue felt too big for his mouth.

"Yuri…" Wolfram pouted—he -_pouted-_! Yuri was going to start this –_again-_? Honestly, if he'd just get into bed they could sleep and…

"Why do you look like that?" The Maou said suddenly, giving the prince a dangerous frown. Wolfram frowned back, not understanding. Something was different here…

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you pouting? Why don't you go sleep in someone else's bed if you're lonely."

"Lonely? I sleep with you because you're my—"

"Fiancé? Ha, so you're bored already? You sure didn't take your time, did you?" Yuri accused ambiguously, and Wolfram's face was a mixture of confusion and anger.

"_-What-_?"

"What did you do today, Wolfram?" Yuri asked, crossing his arms.

"I trained the soldiers, the new ones. You know that! What are you…"

"All day?"

"Yes."

"Liar! I saw you, Wolfram! I _saw _you with him! In the garden, holding hands, and exchanging flowers and letters!" Yuri was raising his voice, and Wolfram was looking much like a trapped animal. And trapped animals tended to strike back. The blonde slid off of the bed, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"Yuri, you don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, don't I? Then there's nothing going on with you and Murata? Nothing you need to lie about?" Yuri asked. He wanted to stop, he really did, but the past few days seemed to be resting on his shoulders.

"Going on? Yuri, the Great Sage and I have a …" He stopped, stepping back. His green eyes left Yuri's dark ones, falling to the floor. It wasn't his right to say.

"You have what, Wolfram?"

"It's none of your business!" The prince shot back, looking up. No, he couldn't possibly explain to Yuri their complicated circumstances. "You wouldn't understand…"

"Get out of my room, Wolfram, and don't come back to it again!"

"You don't trust me…" The prince nearly whispered, and then louder as he placed his hand on his chest, "-_Me_-, your fiancé!"

"I trust you with my life." Yuri said firmly. Wolfram shook his head—that wasn't what he meant and Yuri knew it!

"But you think I'd… be unfaithful to you?"

"There's nothing between us to be faithful to! Go and be with Murata for all I care! Though I warn you, he's more of a flirt than I am!"

"Yuri…" Wolfram's voice was trembling, and it was painful to watch. His shoulders shook as well, his hands still clenched tightly at his sides. His pretty green eyes were watering when he lifted his hand, and Yuri fully expected the blow to land—but it didn't. No matter how insulted he was Wolf could not bring himself to strike his Maou, and more importantly, the center of his affection. "I… I _–hate-_ you, Yuri!" the prince shouted, running from the room in a flash.

Yuri stood still for a long moment, staring at the floor. What had he done now? Wolfram had been crying.

--"_I hate you!"_

He'd never said that before. He hated him for what? For finding out about him and Murata? No, that was just stupid… Yuri felt the pain in his chest turn into something worse than what he had been feeling before. Guilt. And before? That was called jealousy. He'd never seen Wolfram cry before, hadn't thought the spoiled and passionate blonde was capable of it. But -_he- _had made him cry. Yuri soon followed Wolfram out his door.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_--"Liar!" _

_--"Get out of my room, Wolfram, and don't come back to it again!" _

_--"There's nothing between us to be faithful to."_

Wolfram had never felt so deserted in his life. Yuri really didn't trust him. No, more than that—he'd been waiting for something like this to get rid of him! Nothing between them…? Then Wolfram was the only one who had ever had any feelings? It was too much to bear, and he didn't know what to do with himself. There was no way he could show his face in front of his family after Yuri announced the end of their engagement. As bad it that was, Wolfram swore he really was going to hit him if he tried to blame it on the prince's supposed 'infidelity'! With Ken! The Great Sage was his one comfort through his long and fruitless trial of gaining Yuri's affections. He had to at least warn him…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Wolfram's bedroom was found empty, and Yuri's heart sank. He hoped with all his heart that he was wrong, but he made his way towards Murata's bedroom. His feet were almost dragging as he reached it, placing his hand on the door handle. He opened it slowly, just enough to peek inside.

Silhouetted against the window were the figures of two people, embraced tightly. As his eyes adjusted to

the light, Yuri made out Wolfram's delicate frame, seeming all the more fragile by the sound of his crying and the feminine nightgown he wore. Murata's arms were wrapped around him tightly, one around his back, and one hand buried in Wolfram's hair as he cried into the Great Sage's shoulder. Murata was saying something softly, soothingly in the prince's ear, but it was doing no good it seemed. Yuri pushed the door open more, and it creaked in warning. Both occupants looked over. Wolfram's expression grew worse, but Murata's grew cold.

"Well… things haven't exactly gone as planned. I'm sorry, Wolfram, it's my fault. I started it." Ken said with a sigh, but Wolfram shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but Murata placed his finger to those silk lips. He smiled. "This is earlier than planned, but… I think it's time." He tilted Wolfram's chin up quickly, and leaned down to press their lips together. Wolfram made a muffled gasp, his body stiffening as his hands hung uselessly at his side. The Sage made a show of slipping his tongue past those slack lips, and Wolfram's hands moved up at last.

Yuri lost all connection between his brain and his body. His hand on Murata's shoulder ripped the other boy back from Wolfram with enough force to almost topple the Sage. He raised his fist in the air, and Murata closed his eyes tightly, but was surprised when he didn't feel the pain from the –_smack-_ that he heard. He opened his eyes slowly to see Wolfram holding his cheek tenderly, which Yuri's palm had landed firmly upon. All three were silent for a moment as Yuri gazed at the floor.

"Y…Yuri…?" Wolfram asked, reaching for his Maou's shoulder. Did he realize that he'd just… Yuri grabbed his wrist, but not tightly, as he looked up into his eyes.

"There, I did it!" He said firmly, "It's official this time, and not an accident! So choose, Wolfram!" The teenaged king said, resolute. Wolfram's eyes widened, and though his eyes watered again, his smile was wide and bright. He touched the mark with his free hand, welcoming the sting.

"Stupid wimp…" He said, shaking his head. Yuri frowned, confused. A chuckle made him turn around to face Murata, who was smiling.

"Shibuya, you really are fast, though dense. You really thought we were going behind your back?" He asked. Yuri's face flushed.

"What…? You mean you two—"

"Hold it!" Murata held up his hands. "Not 'you two', just me. I decided if I made you jealous you might show your true feelings. I guess I didn't think it through." He licked a little blood from his lip then, and Yuri winced a little.

"Sorry… I guess he bit you when I pulled you off…"

"No," Ken laughed, "it was before that. The kiss wasn't wanted, don't worry." The Great Sage said, waving his hand. Yuri looked back to Wolfram, who's angry blush said it all.

"I still don't understand. I saw you two in the garden!" Yuri said, frowning again.

"Oh, that…" Murata said.

"I ran into the Great Sage after training, and I had to give him the papers he'd left behind this morning… He gave me the flower my mother named after me to give me courage, because I was depressed that I wasn't getting through to you."

Murata's expression got serious as he placed his hand on Yuri's shoulder. "Shibuya…Wolfram really cares about you. You're all we talk about, so… have a little more faith in him." He said, and Wolfram blushed even more.

"Great Sage…"

"I've never felt so angry in my life as when I saw you kiss Wolfram." Yuri's hand that had been holding Wolfram's wrist slid down to grasp his hand. Wolfram squeezed it, smiling almost shyly. "Just, next time… how about talking to me?" He said, rubbing the back of his head. He felt so foolish, and he was also feeling guilty over yelling at Wolfram so harshly.

"Oh, without a doubt. It's a promise. Now… I think you two need to talk about this …"

"Oh! Right…" Yuri turned to face Wolfram, and both blushed.

"I'm sorry." They said as one, and both went to protest. Murata rolled his eyes. Hopeless, lost cases, both of them.

"Shibuya, Wolfram? If you wouldn't mind terribly… I'm a bit tired, and it -_is- _getting late…" Murata said, smiling as the two clueless teenagers nodded in agreement.

"Then, we'll see you tomorrow Murata." Yuri said, though he was smiling now.

"Thank you for everything, Great Sage." Wolfram stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Murata's neck as he whispered secretly in his ear He came back to hold Yuri's hand, and the two of them left the room. Murata sighed, looking out the window and up towards the high moon.

--_"Please continue to have courage. I will be here for you."_

Wolfram really was too cruel, he thought as he covered his eyes. It was his own fault. He had kissed him, after all. Forcing a smile, he walked over to his bed slowly. He was happy for Wolfram. Honestly and completely. He wished them the best, and he would do anything to keep the two of them from becoming like him…

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

PS: OMG I _killed _this fic. I'm sorry TT Goes to hide


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